Keeping Women Safe in Brooklyn

Sometimes, it’s simply necessary to take things into your own hands. That’s the mantra that Brooklyn’s Tim Malloy uses, helping women to feel safer in the Brooklyn area. As a security guard with his own security firm, Malloy decided to start a patrol service to help women get to their homes safely.

Trained Guards Helping Out

Each night a group of his trained security guards stand around the F station exit in neon green shirts, waiting to escort women home from their commutes. He started to volunteer escort program as a result of a recent string of sexual assaults in the area.

The attacks, which began in March, have left 20 women victims of sexual assaults on the street and in the subway. So far, the police have arrested one man and they believe there are another three still at large.

Starting the Patrol

As a longtime Windsor Terrace resident and married father of two, Malloy decided it was time to do something about it. He started his patrol on October 10th. He admits that it was a bit difficult at first, as the women coming out of the subway didn’t trust these men to walk them home. With time, however, word has gotten out and the women have begun to understand what these men are doing.

In a similar way, Jay Ruiz, who is a messenger dispatcher from Prospect Heights, has also started a Brooklyn Bike Patrol. Women can call him to say where they’ll be and he will send an escort. He’s started a Facebook page for his services and has reached out to area cops in the hopes of expanding. As he said, “If everyone had an escort home, it would be so cool ”